HomeMy WebLinkAboutNA2006_04_23 By Erin Hatfield
Staff Writer
DURHAM — An eleventh-hour
motion Wednesday locked up a
second associate medical officer of
health for Durham.
In a 13-12 vote, with three coun-
cillors absent, the Durham council
motion to add the position to the
2006 regional budget passed.
The position, 100-per cent pro-
vincially funded, had been removed
from the budget at the committee
level.
The issue was brought to the
forefront after the Region’s current
AMOH cited the need for a second
AMOH as one of the reasons for her
resignation. Donna Reynolds had
worked as the AMOH for the past
eight years and left the Region April
21 for a position in a laboratory.
Ajax Councillor Colleen Jordan
introduced the last-ditch motion
during regional budget discussions.
“The most compelling reason is
there is no impact to our budget,”
she said.
Whitby Councillor Pat Perkins
said it was removed because of con-
cerns over how long the provincial
funding would last.
“This was a part of the original
proposal committee dealt with,”
Coun. Perkins said. “Committee
chose to remove it... this is not base
funding, it is enhancement fund-
ing.”
The provincial funding could
be used to hire up to six staff. The
Last-ditch effort delivers medical help to Durham
Wants Province to
show it the money
By Danielle Milley
Staff Writer
PICKERING — Pickering wants
the Province to recognize the
vital roles played by libraries and
hand out some cash.
Wa rd 2 Regional Councillor
Bill McLean introduced a motion
at the April 18 council meeting
requesting that the government
of Ontario increase provincial
funding for public libraries. Be-
tween 1992 and 2005, he pointed
out, the provincial grant for the
Pickering Public Library declined
by 30 per cent, from $151,500 to
$106,425.
“A drastic reduction has con-
tinued since 1991,” he said.
Meanwhile the population of
Pickering has increased.
The motion, seconded by Ward
1 City Councillor Kevin Ashe, said
the City recognizes the public li-
brary is the best place in the com-
munity to access information in a
variety of formats and it supports
the library in its endeavour to
share information. But Pickering
needs the Province to support it
as well through the grant.
“We want to continue to get
funds to operate our libraries
to the level we’ve been known,”
Coun. McLean said.
The City would also like the pro-
vincial library grant to be based
on an updated and sustainable
indexing model, as currently it
is based on 1997 statistics for the
number of households in each
municipality. Coun. McLean said
in addition to this, he would like
the 1998 rate of $4.08 per house-
hold increased.
Councillors were unanimous
in their support.
“Considering how the Province,
through the Ministry of Educa-
tion, has identified literacy as a
HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES
Ron Pietroniro/ News Advertiser photo
PICKERING — Ryan Beck scores on a breakaway against goalie Jeff Clarkson during a pick-up game in the
parking lot of Vaughan Willard Public School on Sunday afternoon.
Pickering puts
library support
on the books
The Pickering
28 PAGES ✦ Pressrun 47,900 ✦ Metroland Durham Region Media Group ✦ SUNDAY, APRIL 23, 2006 ✦ Optional delivery $6 / Newsstand $1
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✦ See Conservation, Page 5
✦ See Uncertainty, Page 4
Upcoming meetings
are to gather and
share information
By Danielle Milley
Staff Writer
DURHAM — The people of the
Central East LHIN want to edu-
cate and be educated.
The Central East Local Health
Integration Network (LHIN) is be-
ginning community consultations
April 24 in Port Perry. As part of the
consultations, officials will make
stops at numerous communities
in the LHIN, which stretches from
Scarborough to Northumberland
County and north to Peterbor-
ough and Haliburton. Durham
stops also include Oshawa on May
3 and Ajax on May 18.
“We want to hear from our
health-care community and by
that we mean people who need
health care and who provide
health care,” said James Meloche,
senior director of planning, inte-
gration and community engage-
ment.
Sessions include both a work-
shop during the day for health-
care providers and community
groups, which community mem-
bers are welcome to attend, and
an evening session. The day ses-
sions take place from 9 a.m. to
4 p.m. and they ask that people
register. Evening sessions are from
6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and don’t require
registration.
Mr. Meloche said this is a new
way of planning health care.
“We want to bring people to-
gether who may have never talked
before,” he said.
Community engagement is an
important part of the LHIN’s work
as it tries to get a better sense
of the health-care picture in the
LHIN and the vision for the fu-
ture.
“We’re very excited,” said Mr.
Meloche. “This is a major man-
date of the LHIN. We want to dia-
logue with people and while that’s
important, we want the commu-
nity to dialogue with itself.”
The consultations not only give
the LHIN the opportunity to learn
from the public and health-care
providers, but they also give the
public the opportunity to learn
about LHINs.
“There are times when we will
be educating, times when we’ll be
educated,” Mr. Meloche said.
He said the public doesn’t know
much about LHINs and some of
the information that is travelling
around is misleading.
“We’re trying to build legitimacy
and trust in the process (through
the consultation),” he said.
The provincial government
passed legislation March 1 remov-
ing control for many aspects of
the health-care system from the
Minister of Health and Long-
Te rm Care and giving it to 14
regional LHINs. They take over
management for health care April
1, 2007.
This round of consultations is
just the beginning of the dialogue
between the LHINs and commu-
nities. The information gathered
will be used in the first integrated
health service plan to be com-
pleted in September 2006 that will
identify demographic profiles of
communities in the LHIN, an as-
sessment of health-care needs
and services currently available,
and opportunities to improve ac-
cess.
“The message we want to leave
people with is the way
the LHINs will do business is open
and consultative,” Mr. Meloche
said.
The Port Perry session is April 24
at the Scugog Community Centre,
1655 Reach St. The Oshawa ses-
sion is Wednesday, May 3 at Tosca
Banquet Hall, 800 Champlain Ave.
The session in Ajax is Thursday,
May 18 at the Ajax Community
Centre in the HMS Room, 75 Cen-
tennial Rd.
For more information or to
register, call 905-427-5497 or 1-
866-804-5446 or visit www.centra-
leastlhin.on.ca.
THE NEWS ADVERTISER, April 23, 2006 PAGE 3 A/Pdurhamregion.com
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Wa lk or run
for allergy,
asthma relief
DURHAM — The second an-
nual Triple ‘A’ Run/Walk by the
Allergy Asthma Information As-
sociation (AAIA) will take place
Sunday, May 7, along the Water-
front Trail.
The 10-kilometre walk will start
at 9:30 a.m. from Heydenshore Pa-
vilion, and the five-kilometre walk
and run will begin at 10 a.m. Both
events will feature chip timing. A
barbecue, refreshments and post-
race prizes will follow the event.
A special award will also be given
to the individual who raised the
most pledges for the AAIA.
Early bird entry fees until April
30 are $25 per person or $60 for
families. Entry fees include souve-
nir T-shirts and a one-year mem-
bership to the AAIA, a registered
charity specializing in allergy,
asthma and anaphylaxis research.
Race day registration will also take
place from 8 to 9:30 a.m.
For more information or to
register, visit the Whitby Running
Room at 80 Thickson Rd. S. or
go to www.events.runningroom.
com.
PICKERING — The residents
of Greenwood don’t have to
worry about their hamlet being
quadrupled any time soon.
Last month, the Ontario Su-
perior Court of Justice divisional
court division ruled the applica-
tion by Berrywoods Farms Inc.
to build 381 homes in Green-
wood “were of no effect when
they were filed” because of the
Province’s greenbelt legislation.
The applications were filed
after the Greenbelt Protection
Act (GPA) 2004 was introduced,
but before the legislation became
law. Under the GPA, municipali-
ties were not to process applica-
tions that fell outside their cur-
rent urban boundaries, as the
Berrywoods application did. The
City of Pickering did not process
the application and the Region of
Durham began processing it, but
stopped when the act became
law.
In response, Berrywoods, also
known as Tribute Home-Run-
nymede Development Corpo-
ration, filed an application with
the Ontario Municipal Board. At
the OMB hearing the Greater To-
ronto Airports Authority got in-
volved as the proposed develop-
ment area falls within the noise
contour area for a proposed
Pickering airport.
The GTAA filed the applica-
tion with the court asking for a
declaration that the applications
“a re nullity and no effect” under
the GPA.
Neil Carroll, Pickering’s direc-
tor of planning and development,
said as a result of the court deci-
sion there is now no application
to deal with. Berrywoods does
have the option to resubmit its
applications, however part of the
proposed area falls in the green-
belt area and is protected from
development. “They now would
need to resubmit the application
and it would have to be restricted
to the area outside the greenbelt,”
he said.
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Doors open at 6:00 pm
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Buy a ticket for the Dinner & Dance to be
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durhamregion.comP PAGE 4 THE NEWS ADVERTISER, April 23, 2006
health department hired five
front-line staff and the sixth was
to be the AMOH.
Coun. Perkins, chairwoman
of the health and social services
committee, suggested it would be
difficult to find an AMOH to hire
on temporary funding because
they are a rare commodity in the
health field, requiring extensive
training.
Dr. Robert Kyle, Durham’s
medical officer of health, said the
funding was the Province’s re-
sponse to the severe acute respi-
ratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak
and has been in place since 2003.
The 0.8, full-time-equivalent
AMOH was proposed in the 2006
budget and had no impact on the
tax levy, Coun. Perkins said.
Brock Councillor Larry
O’Connor explained that since
the first AMOH was brought to
the Region 10 years ago, the job,
along with the region, has grown
considerably.
Durham’s population has in-
creased by 23.8 per cent, publicly
funded vaccinations have gone
up by 45.5 per cent, the number
of children aged 19 and under
has risen 14.3 per cent and the
number of reportable diseases in-
vestigated has increased by 46.1
per cent.
“The funding might go on for
two years or it might go for 10
years,” Coun. O’Connor said.
Dr. Kyle, responding to council
questions, explained the health
department had first proposed
the AMOH in 2005.
“We proposed it last year, we
proposed it this year, so clearly we
wouldn’t have proposed it if there
wasn’t a need,” he said.
✦ Uncertainty from page 1
Court denies Greenwood application
Uncertainty
behind decision
priority, what better way to deal with
that than through the library system
that encourages people of all ages to
have access to libraries and a variety
of books,” said Ward 1 Regional Coun-
cillor Maurice Brenner.
The request comes on the heels
of Pickering’s difficult budget discus-
sions in which the idea of cutting
$100,000 for the library materials
budget was discussed. There was little
support for the idea, but councillors
acknowledge service cuts may be a
possibility in the future to avoid dou-
ble digit tax increases in Pickering.
THE NEWS ADVERTISER, April 23, 2006 PAGE 5 Pdurhamregion.com
Just one more way to get your news thanks to the
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Spring heat
PICKERING — Tr av is Hendry, a member of the Pickering Red Sox baseball team,
gets in a little pre-season practise recently with his neighbour and catcher Chris
Nickle at William Dunbar Park.
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✦ Conservation from page 1
Conservation
group stands
by land decision
Make it a
healthy night
at Red Cross
gala
DURHAM — The Canadian Red
Cross is planning a gala night.
The Power of Humanity Gala Night
is Saturday, May 6 at the Hilltop Res-
taurant and Banquet Hall, 1540 Hwy.
2 in Courtice.
The guest speaker is Dr. Gary Po-
lonsky, retiring president of Durham
College and the University of Ontario
Institute of Technology, while enter-
tainment is provided by 3 Sheets 2
The Wind.
A vegetarian-pasta buffet dinner is
planned, along with dancing, silent
and live auctions, and other surpris-
es.
Proceeds from the event will go to
the Durham branch of the Red Cross
so it can provide services to individu-
als and families affected by emergen-
cies.
The gala begins at 6 p.m. and runs
until midnight.
For more information or to order
tickets, call the Red Cross branch at
905-723-2933.
durhamregion.comA/P PAGE 6 THE NEWS ADVERTISER, April 23, 2006
EDITORIAL
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Internet rules key
for young children
A generation ago, the biggest worry parents had was to
tell their children not to talk to strangers. But in the 21st
century, those strangers can talk to your children right in
the confines of your own home. The difference, of course is the
advent of the Internet and the ability of adults with malicious in-
tent to lure unsuspecting youngsters into dangerous situations.
The prevalence of Internet chatrooms, where pedophiles can
easily lie about their identities and work over time to convince
a youngster to trust them, and eventually meet them, is a brand
new challenge for parents. A Durham Family Court Clinic com-
munity workshop this past week focused on how to reduce the
risk of Internet luring and sexual exploitation of children. And,
despite increased concerns brought on by technology and cy-
berspace, some of the tried and trusted old rules still ring true.
Step No. 1 is to talk to your child about what he or she is
doing online. A child should not reveal personal information
to a stranger on the street; the same rules apply at the click of a
mouse. The key is not to divulge personal information such as
phone numbers, addresses or other pertinent, private informa-
tion -- such as bank account or credit card numbers. Step No. 2
is to never agree to meet with Internet friends without parental
supervision. Such meetings are exactly what pedophiles aim to
do when making an online connection with a child.
And finally, parents should make sure their computers have
all the latest security software to ensure you have up-to-date se-
curity patches, anti-virus software and a firewall to keep hackers
out of your system.
The RCMP has an excellent website with plenty of informa-
tion for parents and children alike regarding Internet safety.
Just visit www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca. And if you have concerns about
somebody your child has been in contact with, you can contact
www.cybertip.ca to report your concerns. In the end, as in all
things with children, parents must take the initiative and be
aware of what your child is doing. When it comes to online cha-
trooms, a little old-fashioned talk with your child can go a long
way to keeping her safe.
Benefits of GST cut not there
To the editor:
Re: ‘GST leaves big impact on our homes,’ letter to the editor,
April 5.
At first reading of Richard Groh’s letter I was somewhat
perplexed. A one-per cent GST reduction on $100 worth of pur-
chases amounts to a measly saving of one ‘Loonie’. Not much to
write home about.
The financially well-off (or the filthy rich) will, however, ben-
efit greatly. On buying a BMW 550i at, say $91,100, they will save
$911. Now, that’s something to write home about.
The principal reason for tax cuts is for business to invest in
skills training and productivity-enhancing equipment and to
induce savings to make the economy more productive. When
federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty was the minister of fi-
nance in Ontario he did not support a cut in the GST, and went
on record saying, “All you get is a short-term hit, and it has no
long-term positive gain for the economy.” It will be interesting
to see how he will perform as his master’s voice, now that he is
the minister of finance in a minority federal government. Prime
Minister Stephen Harper is obsessed with this cut in the GST. It
served him well as an election promise, which a large section of
the electorate swallowed hook, line and sinker, without thinking
it through properly. A cut in the GST is for the birds. I can’t wait
to hear what Mr. Flaherty will say.
Guy Colm
Ajax
NEWS ADVERTISER
Metroland Durham
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I t’s no surprise tuition at Durham
College and the University of On-
tario Institute of Technology is on
the rise.
The Province announced in March
that the post-secondary tuition fee
freeze was being removed. It would
have been foolish for anyone to expect
otherwise.
At the April 19 board of governors
meeting for Durham College and UOIT,
members approved the 2006/07 bud-
gets, taking advantage of the ability to
increase fees.
For Durham College, most basic pro-
grams will have a 5.5-per cent increase
for first-year students in 2006/07. High
demand programs are going up eight
per cent. At the university, fees for busi-
ness, engineering and graduate pro-
grams will increase by eight per cent
and all other programs are up by about
4.5 per cent. Subsequent program years
at the college and university are getting
a four-per cent increase.
It’s unfair to point the finger of blame
at education institutions for adjusting
prices -- they’re no different than any-
one else in that they’re not sheltered
from inflationary costs. But something
has to be done to lessen the burden on
students. The problem with post-sec-
ondary education is that it’s becoming
the expectation for all high school stu-
dents.
Along with increasing tuition costs,
students are also being smacked with
the expenses we’re all feeling, like high-
er gas prices and transportation fees.
Even with education guarantees offered
by DC and UOIT to ensure schooling is
available to everyone regardless of fi-
nancial situation, they still have to even-
tually repay the loan.
The debt people are building before
they even hit the workforce is disgusting
-- it’s hard to imagine how a single per-
son in their mid-20s can leave school,
get a half decent job and afford rent,
student loan payments and still afford
to eat.
The education system from high
school up to post-secondary school
needs to be revamped. More program-
ming choice has to be available in high
schools to get students career ready
when they are finished, or at least knock
off some time on their required post-
secondary education.
More post-secondary courses also
need to be condensed so students can
get into the workforce sooner and start
paying down their loans. Maybe instead
of spending two years in a non-skilled
trades college program, more appren-
ticeship opportunities could be incor-
porated into courses. Students could
spend one year in class, one year in
the field on a paid apprenticeship, and
likely make more money than with a
part-time job, while gaining valuable
work experience.
Crystal Crimi’s column ap-
pears every third Sunday. E-mail
ccrimi@durhamregion.com.
Students need a way to pay
Crystal
Crimi
staff writer
EDITORIALS & OPINIONS
infodurhamregion.com
LABOUR DISPUTE HAS ARISEN BETWEEN THE
MEMBERS OF THE $URHAM /CCASIONAL 4EACHER
,OCAL OF THE %LEMENTARY 4EACHERS &EDERATION
OF /NTARIO AND THE $URHAM $ISTRICT 3CHOOL "OARD IN
REGARD TO THE NEGOTIATION OF A COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT FOR
TO 4HE MEMBERS OF THIS LOCAL HAVE BEEN IN A
STRIKE POSITION SINCE *AN IN ACCORDANCE WITH
THE PROVISIONS OF THE /NTARIO ,ABOUR 2ELATIONS !CT
$URHAM ELEMENTARY OCCASIONAL TEACHERS HAVE THE
LOWEST BASIC SALARY RATE OF ANY OCCASIONAL TEACHERS IN THE
PROVINCE OF /NTARIO !MONG ALL OF THE $URHAM BOARDS
EMPLOYEE GROUPS THEY HAVE THE MOST RESTRICTIVE ACCESS
TO AND WORST BENElTS !T THE SAME TIME THE $URHAM
BOARDS OFFER IS THE ABSOLUTE WORST OF ANY IN THE ENTIRE
PROVINCE DESPITE THE FACT IT LAST REPORTED A MIND
BOG
GLING MILLION IN RESERVE FUNDS
4WENTY
EIGHT OF
THIRTY
ONE SCHOOL BOARDS IN /NTARIO HAVE ALREADY REACHED
AGREEMENTS WITH THEIR OCCASIONAL TEACHERS 7HATS WRONG
WITH THE $URHAM BOARD
!CCORDINGLY TEACHERS AND RECENT GRADUATES ARE ADVISED
NOT TO APPLY FOR OR ACCEPT AN ELEMENTARY OCCASIONAL
TEACHING POSITION COVERED BY THE $URHAM /CCASIONAL
4E ACHER ,OCAL COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT
$URHAMS ELEMENTARY OCCASIONAL TEACHERS WILL APPRECI
ATE THE SUPPORT OF THEIR COLLEAGUES FOR THE DURATION OF
THIS DISPUTE
-INISTRY OF %DUCATION 3CHOOL "OARD 0ROlLES
!UG !UDITED !CTUALS
!
7(!43 72/.'